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Sunday, October 17, 2010

I'm back...State Fair style

Well it has been a while since I have written but I figure that I should come back with a bang! I went to the NC State Fair today and survived! I ate so much food and I wanted to spread my gluten free wisdom with you.

When I was diagnosed back in December 2009, one of the first things that I realized I would no longer be able to do was eat at the State Fair. I wallowed in self-pity for a long time and even threatening my family with death by deep fried snickers. BUT after doing some long thinking and researching, I decided I would take on the impossible task (or what seemed to be) of eating gluten free at the North Carolina State Fair. Actually, I ate so much and did not feel deprived at all.

So normally I would start the morning off with an apple turnover or applejacks. Today I opted for apple chips covered in caramel and peanuts! I licked the bowl!

I also shared some apple slushie with my sisters!

Next we decided to get a little more substance. While my sister tried the new Krispie Kreme burger, I had a GIANT roasted turkey leg! I couldn't finish it all. But since the vendor only sold turkey legs, he assured me they were safe! I wasn't even upset about missing out on the new addition to fair food!

My side item was a new addition to the fair though! YAY for Koolickles (dill pickles soaked in kool-aid)! This is a must try for everyone! I hope this one stays around!

Next we ventured to the NC State cow milking area and drank some NCSU milk! We took a short break and visited the crafts, animals, and did some people watching! It didn't take long for us to get hungry for some more fair food. So we decided on some potato ribbons. I happened upon Anderson and Daughters.

After speaking to them, I quickly learned that the father has Celiac Disease! So they had dedicated fryers for their potato ribbons and fries plus he assured me that they used fresh oil today so there was no cause for concern. These people were amazing. I walked away from them a very happy Celiac! Please visit them and thank them for being Gluten Free friendly!

To wash down the delicious ribbons, we found pineapple lemonade and muscadine slushies! Both were delicious! We continued our eating with a staple at the NC State Fair, Silver Queen Corn on the Cob! mmmm my personal favorite! Butter and a little salt, not much better than that!

Then while my sisters enjoyed deep fried cookie dough and deep fried reese cups, I opted for a chocolate covered frozen banana with sprinkles. Now I know for sure that there was cross contamination with this. I chose a vendor who was only selling that and ice cream cones. They dipped the ice cream while on the cone but it did not touch the cone the majority of the time. I definitely took a gluten-eze pill after this one but I have not had any problems! I really wanted some NC State ice cream for dessert but they listed a warning about wheat so I decided not to risk that. Thank you NCSU for being concerned about people with allergies! The banana was a good option though. Be careful though if you do not have any gluten-eze around!

To top it all off, I found my favorite soft drinks! Since I have also eliminated fructose from my diet, the throwback drinks have been a dream come true and they taste better than the originals! I found multiple vendors selling these drinks today! Thank you and I hope this means they are here to stay!

So while I was sad to miss out on the free hushpuppies, I was way too full to eat them by the time we came by the mill. Thank you NC State Fair for making my first gluten free fair experience an incredibly positive one! If you are G-free, don't be afraid of it! Embrace it, there are tons of items I didn't eat that would be safe as well! Don't be afraid to ask either. Everyone I spoke to was more than willing to answer my questions! But most importantly, have fun! I can't wait until next year. Hopefully the NC State fair will create a guide to eating gluten free. One can dream! YAY for NC State Fair G-Free Style!

That's awesome!! I was there too today! Unfortunately I did get CC'd, but honestly I have no idea what food it was. I had part of a turkey leg, the grilled corn, apple cider, and kettle corn. the kettle corn is iffy to me, but I didn't get specifics unfortunately... urg... I'm thrilled you had such an amazing time!! I hate I missed the booth with the potato strings!